I took the training aids off when I felt like I had more than enough time to make adjustments during my landing approach - when I was able to use my rudder to steer the plane in line with the strip and still had some room to fly it in straight. Really what the training aids do is slow things down; they slow down the speed and the responsiveness of the plane. Removing them will make everything seem like it's happening faster (I went through all this just over a month ago, so it's still pretty fresh).

I was able to do loops, rolls, barrel rolls, and fly inverted circuits with my Nexstar (barrel rolls needed LOTS of altitude!) So yes, it will do aerobatic moves; any trainer will. The Avistar will do them much faster, tighter, and smoother. The Avistar will not fight you as much when you try to roll or use your rudder. After landing with the Nexstar, landing with the Avistar felt like the plane wanted to land itself, it was just so much easier. Saying the Nexstar will do aerobatics is like saying an old Cadillac will drive through an obstacle/road course. Sure it will, with some good driving and slow speed, but most cars will do it much better.

I lost my trainer plane, and wish I hadn't. Right now I wish I had a trainer to use after a few flights with the low-wing, for a relaxing flight. Also, when I banged up my low wing, I wished I had a trainer to fly while making repairs. I also wish I had a trainer to fly my friends on.

2.4ghz is really nice to have, but it's not a necessity. There are close to 40 guys in my club, and the only time there was someone on my channel was during a Saturday fun fly. If money is not an object, you should get one. If you want to save a few bucks, get a nice (OS) engine, the plane you want, and a good FM radio. It will last you for years, and setting up your second, third, and fourth plane with FM will be cheaper, too (FM receivers cost less).